Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of Nigeria’s main opposition party PDP, led supporters on Monday, March 6th, 2023, to the Abuja headquarters of the national electoral commission, INEC, protesting the results declared by the Commission from last Saturday’s contentious presidential election.
Some governors of PDP controlled states also joined in the praceful protest, which caused traffic jams in parts of the nation’s capital.
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Some of the protesters were dressed in black and had placards denouncing the electoral process with inscriptions such as “We say no to injustice & fraud” and “No more cheating.”
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A spokesman told reporters that INEC should cancel the results of the vote, claiming it marred by irregularities.The party also accused the Commission of failing to review alleged cases of fraud.
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Senator Bola Tinubu, candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the declared winner of the vote has been receiving congratulatory messages from within and outside Nigeria.
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Atiku was declared second in the contest. He and Peter Obi, candidate of another opposition Labour Party who placed third, have mounted legal challenges to the INEC declared results.
INEC has explained that it had challenges of logistics and with the upload of the election results from the polling units to its public viewing portal, IRev.
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But the explanation has failed to douse tensions and doubts over the electoral process.
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Monday’s protests and controversy over the results have overshadowed the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections fixed for 11th March, 2023.
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